Sword Art Online - Revenge
by Snarist
Summary: May 2024. Caiden is a player trapped inside Sword Art Online. But he is in no rush to beat the game and go home. First... he vows to kill every last red player in Aincrad to avenge his fallen guild, the Shadowed Wanderers. And to prevent this from happening to others. Will this provide him with the closure he desires, or consume him? There is more to the story, it is on the way.


Sword Art Online - Revenge

Caiden scaled the trees of the Lost Forest. Stepping up one branch at a time and using his gauntlet to dig into the trunks. Beneath him on the ground, a player wearing a full set of black steel armour, scanned the area in fear. His quivering rattled the suit, Caiden remained silent.

The orange cursor hovered above the frightened player. A player killer, filth that preys on the weak and innocent. Could he really say much? Caiden's cursor wasn't visible, because he himself wasn't either. He had slain a player with a green cursor before. He vowed only to kill players with orange cursors, regardless of their story. If greens were involved with player killers then they were better off dead.

One benefit of being away from the front lines is having freedom. Caiden and the Shadowed Wanderers, his old guild, fought in their own group to clear dungeons and assist in boss raids. After the incident, after his guild was slaughtered, he made himself one mission to accomplish alone.

Caiden steadied his breaths and creeped along the branches up high. Even if he was detected, this player's reaction speed wouldn't save him. He began calling for help, his guild perhaps. After about ten seconds nobody had shown up. A slight breeze brushed through the forest, slightly putting Caiden off balance. He made the necessary adjustments. When the wind picked up even more, the howling was the perfect cover.

Leaping from up above, he planted his boots into the shoulders. Caiden sent the gauntlet he wore through the head of the player. His victim gave off a blue shimmer and shattered into tiny shards. Disappearing into nothingness. One down with five to go. Caiden scratched the surface of his head, smothering his thin brown hair. The afternoon sun glinting in his green eyes. He heard the rustling of bushes close by, then returned to the top of the trees. Using stealth to bring death from above, to any of the other five that dared investigate.

Two more players emerged from behind some trees, moving slowly from trunk to trunk. Both of them kept to the shadows, thinking they were unnoticed. They had the same black armour as the previous player, uniform for the Black Steel Six guild. This was no job but their presence was noted by people, eventually the news caught up to Caiden. One of them held a two-handed sword, upright when ducking into cover.

'Can you see anything?' asked the two-handed sword wielder.

'Not a thing. But I definitely heard a shout from someone. It could've been Nikou,' replied the other player, holding a one-handed axe.

Caiden's choice of weaponry was odd. He kept a dagger for stealthy approaches and precise stabs. Otherwise in open combat he struck with a one-handed sword in his right hand, a rare gauntlet he acquired in a secret cave with his left hand, and a small shield strapped to his back for extra protection when fleeing or performing spin attacks.

He needed to play it safe to reserve his energy for later. Health was crucial to maintain, especially since his armour was leather. It allowed good mobility with light defence. His armour was dark green and faded to match the colours of his old guild. Even now he found it important to remember why he was doing this.

The player with the two-handed sword would be the slowest but deadliest. As for his friend, only fighting with an axe would keep him mobile and dangerous if he landed a blow. Caiden was pretty quick in combat, no player that attacked him ever landed a severe blow. Before coming into SAO, he had done martial arts his whole life. Now at the age of 17, he had extensive knowledge of how to fight without needing a weapon. The gauntlet he wore boosted his strength and striking power.

Dropping down out of the tree and ending the brute seemed like the best choice. Hopefully Caiden would recover fast enough to drive his dagger into the player with the axe.

So Caiden launched himself off the branch and towards the two-handed swordsman. In the last second, his target glanced up and caught his gauntlet in the face. The punch pierced the player's head. Already Caiden had his dagger aimed for the axe wielder. In that moment, he thought his second target wasn't going to dodge. But he rolled around Caiden, getting a sneaky slash into his sides. The attack brought his HP down a little, somewhere between yellow and full.

Caiden prepared for his opponent's follow-up attack. One after another, he was successful in dodging and blocking the axe attacks. Utilising his own sword, gauntlet and the shield on his back. Now it was his time to fight back. Caiden parried the various slashes from his enemy's axe and lashed out with his own one-handed sword.

As the battle dragged on, Caiden caught sight of three other players running in the distance. They were heading towards this confrontation. The remaining members of the Black Steel Six. Whether it was reckless or not, he had to finish the fight or he would die. He rushed forward and just before the axe wielder's weapon buried itself in his head, Caiden grabbed hold with his gauntlet, stopping it dead even after all the momentum. Snapping it like a twig and holding the sharp half, he turned it on its owner and lodged it deep into his opponent's stomach. Then finished the fight by decapitating the axe wielder with a fierce strike that also destroyed their helmet on contact.

The last three members of the Black Steel Six were too late. Aware of what happened and eager to avenge their fallen. Caiden did his best to look intimidating while he recovered his HP and caught his breath.

'Bastard! We're gonna kill you!' The threat came from a player equipped sword and shield.

'Is that so? How are you three going to be any different from the _last_ three?' replied Caiden.

There would be no point retreating into the trees unless it was to heal. The element of surprise has been ruined due to the previous fight taking so long. It seemed the guild was done talking and charged into face him head-on.

The ignorant and delusional player who threatened him attacked first with his sword and shield. Another sword and shield combo was adopted by a much larger opponent advancing behind him. Off to the side was the final member of the guild, a slim female wearing the iconic black armour. She was getting ready to put some knives to use. At that range it was impossible, unless she possessed high stats in throwing blades. Her ranged attacks meant she wouldn't be suited to close combat.

Caiden had witnessed fast fighters before. He was _very_ fast. This archer of sorts, would be the first in this group to die then dealing with the other two would be less of a hassle. The girl started to unleash her blades and hurl them at Caiden before the others engaged. It wasn't a problem for him to shift out of the way of the incoming steel. Caiden ignored the other two and pursued the girl. One blade made its mark in his left leg but had little effect. He tried for a clean thrust with his sword but the female player evaded at the last second. But she hadn't expected him to be as swift as he was. And in no time at all, Caiden was using the missed attack as momentum for a spin attack. She let off a quick throw but the knife harmlessly bounced off his back shield. Caiden's comeback attack separated her torso from her legs, splitting her in two.

Finally the sword and shield users of the Black Steel Six caught up to Caiden. Screaming and swinging violently, yet also working surprisingly well with each other. They were furious at what he had done and were planning on making him pay with his life. Avoiding their attacks were a little more problematic than anything else from his previous encounters, but it was manageable. Keeping it up would be troubling too. Caiden needed to hang in there, examine the battle closely, find his mark and end it at the right moment.

Both of Caiden's assailants kept him in the middle, trying to bash and slash. All he could do was wait until they were exhausted and started getting careless. The biggest Black Steel Six fighter lunged at Caiden. While parrying the leader with his sword, he sent off a punch with his gauntlet that collided with the tip of the blade. The sword cracked from the pressure and was destroyed.

The leader was in awe from the power punch and Caiden performed a back flip kick that sent him flying into a nearby tree. Knocking some energy and health out of him. The brute was left with nothing but his shield, he held onto it and decided to fight bare-handed. Caiden outmanoeuvred him with ease and continued to chip away at his HP with quick slash attacks from his sword.

In no time at all the brute's health had drained down to the red. Caiden ran forward and avoided two incoming punches. Smacking his enemy in the nose with the palm on his gauntlet. The brute recoiled in pain and then Caiden moved in for the killing move. Once again he utilised the strength of his gauntlet, gripping the lower jaw tightly. In one swift motion, Caiden tore the mouth of the brute open and ripped away his virtual flesh, all the way down to his stomach. But he wasn't dead yet. Caiden firmly grasped his victim's head and popped it like a balloon. Some strange substance serving as blood splattered across his armour and hands. When the brute was officially dead and his character vanished, the stains had also been washed away.

The leader and sole survivor of the Black Steel Six could have fled the scene with a teleport crystal. But instead he liked his chances of stabbing Caiden in the back. Too bad this was seen coming and Caiden moved out of the way. The strikes were sloppy. Deciding it was best to end this now, Caiden swapped out his sword for his shield. Now he was able to use blunt force attacks instead of a sharp weapon.

And then Caiden showed no mercy. Bashing the leader relentlessly with his round shield and gauntlet. He unleashed a flurry of attacks that decimated his health and brought him to near death.

'Okay, now I want ask you some questions,' said Caiden. 'Were you expecting someone to arrive here in the forest this afternoon?'

'I'm not telling you anything.'

'Is it true that you paid an information broker to lure other players out here?'

'No. I don't know any brokers. They were damn beta testers. If I saw one I'd tear them apart. Even they know that. It's why none of them go public with anything.'

'Well see… I met a strange man wearing a black cloak. He claimed he knew about a murder guild running wild in the forest and killing innocent players. I imagine he was talking about you.'

'What? Really?'

'Face the facts. This man sold you out to _me_ and I came running.'

'Who _are_ you anyway?'

'I'm player who kills the player killers. But for you I can make an exception. This is surely shocking and upsetting. I'm sorry for having to do this but it is _not_ personal. I promise. I can let you go and we can forget about all of this. All you have to do, is tell me the name of the broker that you paid and where he is.'

'No… I. Damn it, I don't know his name. Not even where he is or where he plans to go.'

'That's a shame. Do you know if you can organise another meeting with him? Perhaps lure _him_ out this time?'

'Not gonna happen. He told me that we'd never see each other again. It must be how he handles things. Never getting involved more than once. Why?'

'Sucks to be you. That's why.'

Then Caiden drew his dagger and slit the player's the throat. The Black Steel Six guild was finally dead. Unfortunately a deal couldn't be made, maybe the next guild could tell him something. Would they save them? No, it most certainly wouldn't. Caiden was left alone, it was as if nothing had ever happened, no marks or wounds to indicate a battle.

He organised his inventory, checking what he salvaged from the Black Steel Six. Most of the weapons were intact, a few items and crystals, a bunch of food that he'd eat himself and quite a bit of money. The day was almost over and it was dangerous to be out in the Lost Forest at night, even for Caiden.

Caiden knew of a player back in the Town of Beginnings, running something of a care home. Sasha watched over the children who aren't able to look after themselves. She would meet him on the outskirts of town, away from the safe zones. A major setback from being a player with a permanent orange cursor. The money would help her to feed the kids. But a little was saved on the side for her to buy him any supplies he needed. The rest was handed out to other players struggling to raise their levels.

'Thank you so much for doing this, Caiden.'

'Whatever will help, right? _I'm_ the one who should be thanking _you_. Nobody would dare accept anything from a red player, or leave a safe zone to do so. How're the kids doing?'

'Great. They're alive and that's the important thing. I tell them about you, y'know?'

'Oh… What do you say?'

'Not much. They don't know you personally or what you look like. All they know is that you're keeping them safe by going out there and fighting.'

'That's nice. But I'd hate to think of their opinion of me… if they knew what that entailed.'

'I don't approve of your methods either. Really, I don't. But you _are_ keeping those least able to defend themselves safer when they leave. And you give away almost everything you find. You're okay with me, Caiden.'

'Thanks, Sasha. That means a lot. My actions are justified. I'm doing this so nobody else has to. Because nobody else will. The assault team are ignoring the threat these murder guilds present, especially Laughing Coffin.'

'Just be safe out there, okay?'

'Sure thing.'

All weapons, armour, items, potions and crystals etc. They were donated to the assault team as they worked on clearing the game. Caiden made sure to find someone to distribute everything later in the day. When not many of the clearers were around, almost everyone was aware of what he did instead of helping in the fight. He was never in the mood to hear what they thought of him. Especially the vice commander of SAO's top guild, the Knights of the Blood Oath.

She possessed the kind of ferocity Caiden found appealing but for the wrong cause. If it weren't for the dozens of players standing by, he'd be more than happy to get in one good punch. Even if it did potentially set the entire guild on him until he was captured. They were butting heads whenever they saw each other. One of the top reasons why Caiden avoided fighting on the front lines. But one day he'd have to get over it and contribute. For now this was all he could and wanted to do.

Somewhere out there, that info broker was scheming time and time again. Selling lies that led people to their deaths. Things were even worse now than they had ever been. The most notorious guild for player killing had to be Laughing Coffin. While Caiden didn't believe they were the first to murder within the game, they were the most well-known.

He had taken down a few of Laughing Coffin before but if the rumours are true, then their numbers could almost be great enough to rival the assault team. That's a scary thought. All of the clearers massacred. Nobody would be left to stop them and therefore none strong enough to beat Sword Art Online. To his own knowledge, Caiden was the only player actively hunting player killers. Against a guild like Laughing Coffin, he needed to pick them off one at a time. Facing them all head-on at once would be suicide. It doesn't seem right to call Laughing Coffin a guild when they're more like an army.

Caiden returned to his tavern room. Floor 35 was a hotspot for player killers because of the Lost Forest. It was easy to commit a crime and lose your victims. Definitely a good place if you were empty of teleport crystals. Tomorrow the search begins again, hopefully he'd catch wind of another player-killing guild. It seems ludicrous how many murder guilds are in Aincrad, even if they are low-profile.

Hopefully he'd run out of red players to take down. So that he could re-join the other clearers. The rest of his old guild would've wanted that. It would be nice to get a little respect back from the assault team.


End file.
